Crossing Boundaries - Revised Edition
by Hewy Toonmore
Summary: In the late 19th century, three human explorers are sent to the Pride Lands in order to explore the region and study African wildlife. But when the threat of war finds itself sweeping towards the kingdom, can the three humans be enough to help save it? Please Read and Review.
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note: I am re-writing this story with the help of Roudy Redd and Sharks Potter because I think the original version was too corny and inaccurate to history. Along with the fact that in one chapter, one of the character acts way out of character. So, I hope you enjoy this new and improved version even more.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of The Lion King characters. The only ones who are mine are the human characters, some various animals of the Pride Lands, and Kovu and Kiara's daughter, Rosa. Enjoy!**

The year was 1878. It was the dead of night out on the Texas plains. Despite the clop of the horses' hooves on the packed earth, there was no other sound. Just a dizzying silence. Exactly the way he liked it. He'd been at this for a day and a half. Not that he was complaining. When he did his job, he did it right. Subtle signs in the dust that wouldn't have been seen by the quick passerby were the clues he thrived off of. Speaking of which, he thought a grin tugging at his lips. He dismounted and the group halted.

"This is where we walk," he said simply pulling the rifle from the saddle bag.

"What about the horses?" one of the hunters probably a son or nephew on his first hunt said.

He glanced back at them and shrugged, "You could walk 'em or tie 'em up here."

The boy looked into the woods skeptically. His companion seemed to voice his concern when he asked, "You sure them pumas'll be in there?"

The man decided not to answer or ignored him. He stepped into the woods carefully. Before the three others could follow him, it seemed as if the trees had swallowed him.

The group kept close and the man gave a whispered warning, "Watch yourselves. They attack from high ground."

"From the trees?" one of the men asked.

The grin returned for a split second, "Not all Texas is flat. You should know that." True to his word, they found themselves in a dried river bed sinking low into a tiny canyon. "Light your lanterns, boys, pumas have good eyesight and like to attack in the dark."

The tracker flinched and clenched his jaw at the younger hunter as the boy clumsily fixed his lantern. They kept working their way through the river bed occasionally stepping up onto the bank. The ground to their right sloped downward easily and rolled back up a hill. Their lights cast shadows on the debris and more than once Joshua Cody heard the boy whimper at the monstrous shapes. This time, however, he didn't reprimand him. They were making themselves the perfect bait for the puma to be lured out.

Josh decided to add the finishing touches to ensure their success tonight. Drawing a pocket knife from his left coat pocket, he pricked his right thumb and let several drops of blood splatter onto the ground. The bait in place, he slowed his pace and signaled for his companions to stop. It was time to fish or cut bait.

He tensed inside as the familiar feeling settled over him. Ever since he was a young boy he could sense when eyes were turned on his back. The feeling continued for several more seconds till it started. The tawny cat about eight feet long measuring from tail to nose flew out of the trees with a banshee scream. Guns were fired but way too late. The youngest hunter had yelped and dropped the lantern, shattering it on a rock. Josh simply ducked out of the cat's way as it bounded back into the woods with a ticked off screech.

Slowly he got back up and stared angrily at the two hunters. "You two didn't tell me you wanted to shoot it."

"Why else would we come here looking for a puma? A pet?" the leader of the hunters huffed angrily. He shook his head, turned around and picked the younger one up by the scruff of his shirt, "Get up," he ordered.

Josh gritted his teeth and grabbed the collar of the elder hunter, pulling him up so that they were seeing each other face to face. Raising his shotgun, he pointed it right at the hunter's mouth. "I only hunt for food…never for sport. You told me that you wanted it alive!" The man's portly face contorted with fury.

"Unhand me this instant, you bastard," he shouted, "or I'll have the law on you!" Josh smirked.

Josh then opened his coat, revealing a gold star badge clipped to the left breast side of his vest. "I am the law." Josh said. "Care to discuss your problem directly?" The anger immediately left the hunter's face.

"You never said there was a law against hunting," he said.

Josh just growled, reared back his fist, and punched the hunter square in the stomach, causing him to double over onto his knees, gasping for air. "There are some things that the law doesn't have in the books." he said. "One of them being nasty little men like yourself. But as I am the sheriff of Northbrok, I could arrest you if I wanted to. And just so you know, the town judge is an old friend of mine. The both of you could spend a real long time in a nice small jail cell. Would that sit well with you?"

They both shook their heads vigorously. "We didn't mean to… What I …" he finally stopped himself before he put his other foot in his proverbial mouth. "No, Sherriff Cody."

"Good. Now I suggest y'all take your guns, go back to your horses, and get the hell out of here! Otherwise, I'll take your guns, and your horses, and leave you to the rattlers!"

The pair scrambled to get their things and hurriedly picked their way back the way they had come. Josh blew a deep breath out of his nose and glanced down. The shattered lantern had caused a small fire and smoke began curling upward into the air. He pulled his canteen off his belt and dumped the water onto the small flames. They hissed out of existence indignantly. He also picked up as many pieces of glass as he could. No need for the cats to get hurt from these idiots' mistakes.

Suddenly the feeling was back. He turned to look over his shoulder and caught the glowing eyes of the puma. They both held still sizing each other up. Then Josh tipped his hat to the beast. The cat's ear twitched and like lightning, darted back into the trees.

* * *

Josh tried to simply ignore the light behind his eyelids but it couldn't be helped any longer. He opened his eyes wearily. Getting home last night in the dark was not something he'd like to do again. He swung his legs out from the blankets and sat up. For a while he stared blankly at the wall. His cabin was small. A two room place with one being his kitchen and sitting area the other his bedroom.

He glanced up the wall and a grin crossed his face at the memento. On the way was an ornate dream catcher. Feathers from several birds dangled on strips of deer hide tied to the hoop. On the crisscrossing of tightly pulling strings were many beads of varying colors. He had other such memories hanging on the wall or on the single shelf with his books. He had very few possessions such as these and he got by with what he had.

Rising from the bed, he walked out to the porch and sat down on the chair to watch the sun continue its rise.

Just then, Josh heard the faint sounds of a horse's hooves trampling the earth, along with the sounds of a rider whistling and yelling, "Hyah!" Josh turned his head to the left to see a man riding a horse, along with a heavy bag dangling off his right shoulder coming his way. Suddenly, he remembered he was still in his nightgown. Hurrying inside, he changed. By the time he had finished and placed his hat on his head, the rider had dropped down from his horse.

"Telegram, Sherriff."

Josh nodded and took the envelope. The return address made him quirk an eyebrow. He'd gotten letters of thanks from British explorers he had helped to track and he assumed it was another. Thanking the rider, he went inside to open it. Going over the letter, he had to blink several times to see if he'd read the name right. The Charles Burton? Josh had heard many stories from the Brits he helped about the once general in Queen Victoria's army. But due to some unknown incident, he had been suspended. Now he was Chairman of the British Royal Society, requesting Josh's appearance in London. He read over the letter again and saw a date. He sighed. He was to catch the steamer next week for South Hampton. Josh put the letter down and rubbed his hand over his face. He'd been meaning to find some assistant deputies.


	2. Chapter 2

London, England. The sun was shining as the birds flew over the Thames. Big Ben chimed a beautiful melody as it struck ten o'clock a.m. A carriage pulled up to a stately building, the British Royal Society. From the carriage came Josh. He looked up in awe at the gothic style building gleaming in the morning air. He felt a tad bit out of place standing there in a red four-pocket canvas vest over a natural Coulter shirt, a camel Griffith frock coat, walnut canvas field trousers, a black silk puff tie, a pair of black Preacher boots, and his favorite black soft gambler hat. Taking a deep breath to calm himself, he mounted the steps up to the porch and rang the bell.

A stern faced servant answered his call. His eyes surveyed Josh for an instant, as if trying to decide if he were an actual visitor or a street beggar. Before speaking in an equally stern voice, as hollow as a bagpipe, "May I help you?"

"Uh, yes," answered Josh. "I'm Joshua Cody. Charles Burton asked me to come. You see, he sent me a telegram-"

"Yes," the man said standing, cutting Josh short, "He's been expecting you. Right this way." Josh nodded uncomfortably, kicking himself for being intimidated by this poor excuse a man and followed the servant inside.

At the end of the hallway, they came to another door, guarded by two soldiers, dressed in red fox tunics and black furry hats, their bayonet tipped muskets at their side. The servant knocked and opened the door.

Josh's stomach twisted painfully; the room was decorated with animal trophies, ranging from antlers to stuffed tiger, bear, and lion heads. The servant cleared his throat, diverting Josh's attention to the black haired man with a bead sitting behind the Chippendale desk, smoking a pipe.

"Joshua Cody from the United States of America has arrived for you, Master Burton."

"Ah," he said, putting his pipe away, "Thank you, Jennings. You may go." The servant bowed his head and left Josh standing in the doorway.

"Do sit down, my good man," he said to the Texan, smoothing out his black suit, as if he was just off at the men's club for brandy.

"Thank you, kindly, sir," Josh said, rubbing the back of his neck as he sat down in front of the desk. A look of uneasiness appeared on his face as he eyed the many stuffed animals and mounted heads staring at him with lifeless glass eyes, baring their claws, antlers, horns, and fangs.

Burton leaned across his desk, resting his head on one fist. "I understand you have a great deal of experience with wild animals," he said, his eyes smirking at the emphasis of "wild."

Josh turned his attention back to Burton and answered, "Not as much as you have by the looks of your office."

Burton chuckled, "Do you like it? It's taken me years to bring the…collection to such heights."

Josh narrowed his eyebrows. "To be honest, sir…it doesn't really leave that good of an impression on me."

"Ah," he said, apparently not getting the message, "So you've seen tougher beasts than those. I'm impressed." He then took out a glass and filled it halfway with brandy. "I have a special request of your…talents. As you probably know, over the last few years, England has been experiencing overpopulation problems. Personally, I blame all those uncontrolled immigrants pouring in… But anyway, we currently hold more oversea empire than any other nation in the world. There is still one land which so far has not been penetrated." He then pointed to a map on the wall. Africa. "The interior of the dark continent. The French already own North Africa, and we're already having trouble with both the Boers and the Zulus in the south."

"So I've heard," Josh said, raising an eyebrow. Even in his hometown in Texas, news of the atrocities between the British and the African tribes were heard. Personally, Josh didn't like the British approach.

"The reason I've summoned you here," Burton said, "Is because I want you to lead a small expedition to explore the unexplored regions in central Kenya."

"What's the purpose of our mission?" Josh asked suspiciously.

"We've been hearing something about a strange land called the Pride Lands, we assume they are the natives of that area. A few years back, one of my expeditions found a wondering white man out there, who told us of this place, which he described as ideal for our colonization operations. Since no other country has ever heard of that region, we are at an advantage if we cease the opportunity first."

"And what kind of opportunity would that be?" asked Josh, as light hint of sarcasm in his voice.

"To expand the Her Majesty's Empire, of course. Just think of it, Mr. Cody. I'm offering you to be the first man to discover what could probably be the greatest discovery of our century."

Josh considered for a moment. As far as he was concerned, this was probably just another colonization project which he wanted no part in. But, on the other hand, his sense of adventure was urging him to cease the opportunity for himself. Burton was going into Africa, with, or without him; so he might as well have his adventure first.

"What if the area is already inhabited by locals?" he asked. Burton smiled coldly.

"Then it will be up to you to make first contact," he said. "We don't want to go in there as invaders if we can help it. I'm counting on you to arrange a diplomacy between this country and the natives."

Josh, his mind finally made up, then decided to ask the question that anyone would when offered a job. "How much will I get paid, exactly?"

"More than your job does in a year, I assure you." Burton chuckled.

"Please don't insult my intelligence, Mr. Burton, just be specific."

Burton's smile never faded from his face, but he lifted an eyebrow, "The Crown is willing to pay you ten thousand pounds. And if I'm not mistaken, that is about fifty thousand American dollars."

Josh's eyes widened at that query. That sounded like an awful lot of money, and with it, he would be set for life. What other choice did he have? "Alright, sir, you've got yourself a tracker," he said, extending his hand.

The former military man grinned even wider and grasped Josh's hand firmly, "It's a pleasure doing business with you." He then pulled out a folder, "Oh, and before I forget, this is the information on your companions. One is a gentleman from China named Chen Ling. He's is an expert in biology, both plants and animals. He was recommended to me by the British Ambassador in China."

"Hmm, you don't say," Josh said as he thumbed through the folder, looking at the pictures of the two others he was going to accompany. He frowned when he noticed the photograph of a black fellow. Even after the Civil War, it was still very uncommon for colored people to have equal rights.

"The other is Denzel Baker, a black fellow," Burton continued. "He was recommended to me by the head of the Central Park Menagerie in New York. He knows just about everything on African animals, many of which are on display in their zoo."

Josh raised an eyebrow. "Is that all?"

"Your train leaves around noon tomorrow for Portsmouth. Your equipment will be supplied to you by our Embassy in Alexandria. From there, you'll catch another steamer I've chartered, to take you down along the Suez Canal, along the coast, all the way to Kenya. From there, you travel inland on horseback."

Josh mulled this over quietly and finally asked, "What exactly am I supposed to report when I return?"

"I'll be meeting you there in person in three months time. We'll discuss it then."

Josh thought it over. He had been to places before like Mexico and South America. But never to Africa. Who knew what dangers he could encounter? And what of the native people; would they be aggressive towards a white person? On the other hand, he did have some peaceful experiences with the Apache Indians back in Texas. It wouldn't be too hard for him to negotiate with the African Natives out in the bush. He thought back to what Burton had said and done. The tiny things he caught that he was pretty sure the man wanted to hide. He didn't know yet what to do with it. Finally, he made up his mind and nodded, "Alright, sounds reasonable."

Burton shook Josh's hand, "It's been a pleasure, Mr. Cody. I am afraid to say I will not be seeing you off, but duty calls. Good luck all the same."

Josh left the office and walked back down the hall. He had chuckled at Burton's farewell. _'Yeah, I'm going off into the Dark Continent with two complete strangers to explore the land and see if the locals are hospitable,_' he thought. This was going to be one hell of a trip.


	3. Chapter 3

The air was balmy, sticky, and dirty. Merchants drove their carts up the streets, while filthy dock workers ran about their business. The singing of drunken sailors could be heard from the dingy pubs, while ragged loose women shadowed every man on the street. The typical English port of Portsmouth. Josh got out of his carriage, the salty air hitting him, making him feel tainted. Glancing down an alleyway, a couple of blocks away, he spotted his waiting ship, the steamer RMS Leonardo. On the pier, several dock workers hurried to and fro, loading passengers' trunks and sacks of coal for the boilers onto a crane, while the officer of the dock barked orders.

His traveler's sack over his shoulder, Josh walked up to the edge of the gangplank, joining the queue of passengers waiting to board. He looked up the forward mast, which was flying the Union Jack. He whistled aloud. This was a big ship, much bigger than the fish-smelling, grime-encrusted rust bucket he had arrived on. His eyes lingered on the crow's nest for a moment. He thought he saw a pair of legs dangling over the edge. Suddenly, a shrill whistle made Josh snap his neck away from the odd sight. He rubbed his neck as the ticket inspector at the bottom of the gangplank, probably one of the ship's officers, shouted.

"Hoy, mister! We're 'bout to shove off. Move!"

Walking up the sagging, flannel-draped gangplank, which seemed likely to collapse and dump him into the foul sewage water of the harbor, Josh glanced back up at the mast and saw the man had left the crow's nest, scaling down the rigging, a sketchbook and pencil in his mouth. He stopped on the rope steps partway down. Then, to Josh's utmost surprise and apprehension, the man quickly spun around on the main line, his long dark braid whipping out behind him. He was going to fall! Just then as the man fell backward, he grabbed hold of the rigging again, by anchoring his legs between the rope steps. Josh just had to laugh at that acrobat. The man was upside down now. But not for long.

He flipped right side up, kicking his legs forward. He swayed on the rigging for a moment before swinging over to the other side of the rigging, so that his back was now against the mast. Then, he jumped! Grabbing onto the mast, this monkey of a man slipped down the mast and onto the deck below, amidst a mob of swearing sailors and reproachful officers who had seen his show and had come to chastise him.

Hurrying along the promenade towards the forecastle, Josh chuckled as the man casually walked away from the angry sailors, pulling the notepad and pencil from his mouth. Now that he was close enough to get a good look at the man, he could see that he was Chinese. His smile was hard to ignore and it made his rather large, round nose seem smaller. His eyes looked almost like dark chocolate almonds. Above his eyes, his thick dark eyebrows stuck out like those of a meerkat's. His hair was long and he had guessed right at seeing the braid. His nationality was discovered not just from his face but also from the long-sleeved black Mandarin jacket with white cuffs and long straight horizontal fasteners he wore. He wore matching slacks and Josh could see slipper-like black shoes on his feet like a pair of gloves.

"That was some show just there," Josh said in an attempt to start conversation.

"Oh. That? I was being stupid. Don't try that. You will fall and die," he said, light humor in his voice. His words were crisp and Josh could tell English was most definitely his second language.

"Oh, I won't. I don't think I have the limbs for it. Besides, riding and fencing are more my style." He extended his hand toward the man. "Joshua Cody, Sheriff of Northbroke, Texas."

The Asian took the hand. Then he bowed his head one first to a flat hand, "Chen Ling of China. I live in the Lotus Pass in the Himalayan mountains. I have been anxious to meet you."

Josh raised an eyebrow, "Have you now?"

"Mr. Burton's embassy enlisted me for the mission to Africa. It is always good to meet new people," he said a smile on his face his intelligent eyes gleaming. Clearly, he was more than just some nutcase acrobat out of the loony bin.

"Pleasure is all mine," Josh said, "I hear you're a scientist. A biologist, I think?"

"A school teacher actually," he said, with an expression of deep pride, his smile growing. No doubt teaching in the east was held in far higher regards than in the west, possibly even sacred, thought Josh, "I teach many subjects. From English to Kung Fu."

Josh's eyes widened. The only martial art he knew was boxing, having been on the receiving end of several oafs on the ring and vice-versa. It was hard to imagine this little man knocking out cold a 200-pound man with muscles of steel.

"Really? That's interesting."

"If you are willing, I could teach you," he said slapping the much taller man on the arm. Josh chuckled. He was beginning to like this Oriental.

They both went below. Burton had definitely spared no expenses for this expedition, thought Josh, as a skinny, stern-faced steward with a toothbrush-like mustache ushered them into their private stateroom, usually reserved for traveling nobility. Redwood paneling and furniture, linen curtains, Arabian carpets and a closet filled with wine. The cozy little world of a king, as far as Josh was concerned, feeling so out of place in his threadbare shirt and unpolished sheriff's boots. Another man sat at the writing desk, going over some papers.

Despite his chocolate-brown skin, which, at first glance, should set him apart from the polite society, Josh could tell this fellow no doubt had reached much higher in life than most of the former southern slaves he knew back at home. His dark hair was tight and curly but well trimmed by a professional barber. Likewise, his new club-collar shirt, necktie, tweed vest and trousers, complete with a pocket-watch, gave the impression of one who had the rare advantage of the time of being treated as an equal, either by money or connections…or maybe Burton himself. Maybe the animal-trophy collector had a positive side to him after all? The black man spotted the two newcomers immediately and walked over to greet them, his gleaming white toothy smile contrasting greatly with his dark face.

"Hello, Joshua Cody, isn't it?" he said holding out his hand to him, "My name is Denzel Baker." He shook Chen's hand as well, "And Chen Ling of course. Is this all of us?"

"Looks like it," said Josh said lamely. Behind them, the steward, who had finished bringing in their luggage, bowed respectfully, giving them a slightly disapproving look, probably thinking just how out of place this trio of foreign riff-raff looked like in these respectful parts of the ship, and left. However, Josh didn't notice, too busy taking in his third companion.

Josh considered himself about average in height but standing next to this giant of a man made him feel short. It's not that Denzel was like half a foot taller. He was only about two inches taller than Josh but Denzel was very broad-shouldered and fit. As Josh looked closer at him he noticed a small scar on his right on the cheekbone. He made a mental note to ask him about it later.

His thinking was cut short however as Chen spoke.

"I hear you know a lot about animals. Can you tell by sight alone?"

"Most of them, yes," Denzel replied, "My parents were former slaves, freed after the Civil War. A missionary taught me in his school in New York, and even helped me enroll in collage. Later, I managed to secure a job at the Central Park Menagerie. I travel all the time, collecting data on the native species of different countries around the world."

"I've been to a few countries, myself. Mexico, Panama, Brazil, tracking down animals for people to study or to take to a zoo," said Josh, with a slight twinge of shame at the mention of zoos. "My normal job is sheriff of a small town in Texas, but being a tracker helps put bread on the table."

The three men looked up as a familiar trumpet, not unlike a cavalry charge sounded in the corridor outside. The typical, British tradition of announcing meals aboard ship, Josh had heard. Denzel waved his arm to the door.

"Shall we?"

They walked downstairs. A steward directed them towards a small reading room used for private business conferences during the voyage – another of Burton's pre-paid luxuries for their journey. The room housed a decent library, with several writing desks and even some leather sofas to recline on. Another steward entered with a trolley laden with hot meals and drinks.

Denzel plopped down on one of the sofas by the copper fireplace, letting one arm hang over the side of the arm rest and the other rest on lap. No doubt this was his first time he had experienced such high-class comforts. He splayed his legs out for a moment before sitting back up. "Anybody else hates these rich-folk suits?" he asked with a small chuckle.

Chen nodded, "Old China was smart. The suits at home are pretty much the same. Loose is best," he said sitting down opposite him.

"Alright, listen up," Josh interrupted, pouring three glasses of champagne and passing them out, "Before we propose a toast, I need to lay down some ground rules if we are in order to survive this little camping trip."

"Rules like what?" Chen asked. Both the seated men were now seriously listening.

"I really only have one standing rule: While we're out in the bush, we stay together. If you want to explore, it's all of us or you don't go," he said firmly. "If one of you does go alone and gets lost, you'll be fending for yourself, got it?"

"Yes, sir," Chen nodded.

"And one more thing," Josh went on.

"You have to promise," the Texan said, eyeing his companions, "that, unless it's a question of posing serious danger to us, you won't shoot anything."

"Beg pardon?"

"No sport killing and no trophy collecting," Obviously they didn't know about his Apache upbringing, where he had discovered his heart for nature, so he laid it down pure and simple. "It's my code of honor that I only hunt for food, or kill as a last resort in self-defense. Nothing else. If I'm to be your guide, then I expect that code to be obeyed and respected like the Bible. Is that clear?"

"Glad we see eye to eye on that." said Denzel, obviously no more fond of Burton's hideous trophies than Josh was, "But why all the rifles and pistols on the manifest?" He handed Josh a clipboard from the British Board of Trade, which listed all their supplies and equipment for the expedition, currently stored in the ship's hold.

Josh made a mental note to go through all that stuff later. "Burton's idea of safety out in the bush, I suppose. But I, personally, really have no use for them. I'm a tracker, not a big-game hunter like he is. But I'm also being paid to be your bodyguard. You're the brains; I'm just the brawn."

Chen's smile fell. "Who decided this?"

"That's what I'd like to know," Denzel said looking to Josh skeptically.

Josh swore to himself. He'd just insulted these two fine people, and they hadn't even gotten started. "I didn't mean any offense, fellas. I just thought…"

"That we're just scientists?" Chen supplied for him, "What part of 'Kung Fu' was Chinese to you?" he asked, thankfully not angered, yet slightly miffed.

"And I didn't spend four years on the Negro rugby team for nothing." Denzel muttered, reaching out to the snack tray for a bite, which was loaded with appetizing, aristocratic delicacies, including foie gras, caviar, smoked salmon and liquor chocolates, all set in neat order on the silver platter.

Josh nodded. "Alright. Sorry. It's just that's what Burton instructed me to be on this trip."

"Maybe I should show Mr. Burton my Kung Fu classes," said Chen, his mood lightening again. Josh couldn't suppress a smirk; pompous, sly Burton would undoubtedly look like one of those snacks on the tray if he went up against Chen's Kung Fu. He raised his glass. What should he say? To England? To the king? To science? To adventure? Certainly not to big game hunting!

"To success!" The glasses jingled as the three explorers of the Pride Land Expedition toasted their journey.

Denzel laughed softly, draining his glass. He stretched and yawned, "Well, I'm gonna hit the sack."

"Alright," said Josh, "Just watch it when the boat starts moving."

Chen chuckled at the Negro zoologist, "You don't want to fall off the bed."

Denzel laughed again, "True. My girl back in New York would kill me if I broke my nose by falling on my face. What are you two going to do?"

The Chinese man stood from his chair and said, "More climbing."

"I'll just sit here for a while," said Josh. "I'll catch up."

As the two scientists left the room, Josh sat on a chair next to the window, looking out at the open sea. They had long since left the coast of England behind, steaming towards Gibraltar. In an estimated two weeks, they'd be making port in Alexandria, to catch their next ride inland. He didn't exactly feel excited, just more anxious than anything. But he felt somewhat ready; ready for another grand adventure. '_Here goes nothing,' _he thought as he watched the waves slide by the hull.


	4. Chapter 4

It had been a fortnight since they had set sail for Alexandria. Denzel sat on a bollard in the forecastle, looking out towards the open sea as the steamer cut across the waves. Somewhere on the horizon ahead was the African continent, waiting for him and his friends. He'd always wondered what his ancestral homeland looked like; not that he had even considered Africa his homeland. New York City in the United States of America was his home. He loved it there. And he loved his job of working closely with animals. The real reason he was glad to join this expedition was because of some new neighbors that had moved into his neighborhood in the Bronx three months ago. They were from the south. At first he was glad to meet them at his church. But this family retained a deeply rooted prejudice towards blacks, having lost a son to the Yankees during the Civil War. He realized it was to be expected it but he wasn't the type of person to hold grudges…too often. Feelings had been very cold when he left. He just hoped while he was gone the rest of the congregation would be warmer and more welcoming and that this new family might eventually change their minds.

Putting this out of his mind for now, he scanned the seas for the tenth time hoping to sight land. Josh, who had just come up from having mess, walked up to the taller man and leaned against the railing. "How long you been out here?"

Denzel shrugged, "An hour, I guess."

"What's it like, Africa I mean? Do you know?" the Texan asked, looking out at sea. Denzel shook his head.

"I've never been there. My folks first came to the States over a century ago, when my great-grandparents were brought in by slave traders," he said turning his back to the water, "I've read a lot about it though from the articles published by Livingstone and Sir Morton Stanley," he added with a chuckle, "There are open savannas and dense jungles with wide deserts in-between… It's very diverse; probably because it's so vast. Africa is twice as big as the entire United States."

"No kidding," said Josh. "I could tell by just looking at it on a globe or a map."

"It'll be different from the map," Denzel laughed, "Not much has been documented yet of the natives that live deep in the interior or their cultures. And this Pride Lands place doesn't even exist on the map… Hopefully, I get some notes to get a comprehensive essay written."

"You'll do that in good time," said Josh, "I'm just curious as to what the animals are gonna be like. I mean, back in Texas, I could handle myself just fine. Hell, it ain't called the Wild West for nothin'. But this is Africa, which, Burton says, is even wilder. I don't know if I'm ready for such a place."

"Likewise," said Denzel, "I've seen plenty killer beasts in captivity, but to see them in their natural habitat will be something else."

"I've dealt with pumas, coyotes, anacondas, bison, bears, caimans, alligators, jaguars, just about anything that can kill you if provoked. Now I'm gonna have to deal with lions and leopards and rhinos and crocodiles and cobras, the ones that kill a man on principal. Hoo boy, if this trip is not a God-sent gift, then nothing cuts it!"

Denzel laughed at Josh's lust for adventure, "You'll get plenty of chances. As long as you don't tick them off just for the hell of it, of course." He stretched some and asked, "Speaking of being reckless, have you seen Chen?"

Josh raised an eyebrow, "No, not recently. Why?"

Denzel laughed, "I've been watching him for the past couple of weeks and I swear, sometimes, I think he's going to fall off the ship!"

"With that little stunt he pulled off yesterday, I highly doubt that."

Denzel smirked at the memory of Chen swinging down from the yardarm and landing on the bridge roof, scaring the helmsman inside half to death, "One of these days, the captain is going to forget we represent the Crown and have him flogged, to cure his thirst for acrobatics… Sometimes he reminds me of a monkey. Ha! A gibbon."

Suddenly, the hoarse voice of the lookout rang out from the crow's nest, "Land Ho!" At that moment, almost as if out of nowhere, Chen appeared beside them. "We have arrived!" he said regaining his composure but not losing his smile.

Josh's eyes widened. "Where?"

"Over there, off the starboard bow!" Chen said, hurrying over to the railing for a better look. Denzel and Josh followed after him. Sure enough, the continent which housed some of the wildest places on Earth, loomed into view. Africa was just a barren shoreline to them at first. A few patches of palm trees and ferns popped out of the sand on the shore, only a few meters inland. The typical flora of Egypt. Somewhere beyond, a few thousand miles inland, they knew, the desert terrain ended and the savannah began. In the distance, the Arabian mosques of the ancient port of Alexandria could be seen against the rising sun.

It was unlike anything the Americans had ever seen before. Even Chen had to admit this place differed greatly from the wilderness of Tibet and the Gobi Desert where he had lived much of his life. Their taste of Africa was small, and at first glance, off-putting. And they were still only on the threshold of their journey, which would involve no more luxurious traveling. Little did they realize that they'd get to know it far more than they ever imagined.

* * *

The port of Alexandria, although significantly smaller and less industrial than England, was at least much cleaner and welcoming that Portsmouth. Because it was too shallow for the heavy steamer to dock at the pier, the Leonardo instead dropped anchor a few yards from shore. While the crew unloaded their supplies into row-boats, Josh, Denzel and Chen were ferried ashore with the rest of the passengers in straw canoes rowed by Arab fisherman. Their horses, which had spent the whole voyage in their pen down in the hold, were lowered into the water by crane and floated ashore on barrel floats.

"Well, this is it." Denzel said, "If you want to go back, start swimming. It's a long way home."

A representative of the British colonial office, Lord Davidson, escorted by armed soldiers, met them at customs. Leading them away from all the Arab, Greek, French and native African merchants having their goods inspected, he took them to their hotel, where they'd be spending the night, getting their equipment in order, before boarding their next boat up the Nile to Sudan; from there, they'd be taken by train to Nairobi, which would be their last outpost to civilization. From there, they'd have to travel on horseback some 500 miles to the west, where this mythical Pride Lands place Burton said was, in the heart of the savanna wilderness.

Josh had initially taken a liking to Lord Davidson for making all the necessary preparations for them, including charting their course on the map, which he presented to them. But when he saw the size of their arsenal, which was enough to fill up a train wagon, and inquired how they were suppose to transport it out in the bush, Davidson kindly informed him that he had taken the liberty of hiring a dozen native laborers to carry their baggage all the way.

At this, Josh got very angry and stated point blank that he would not accept a crew of slaves to carry his stuff. It only got worse when Davidson suggested that they also take along an armed squadron from the local garrison for protection. When Josh had tried explaining in a civilized manner that he had full confidence in Denzel's knowledge of animals to keep them out of trouble, Davidson had warned him that those parts were filled with savage beasts, cutthroat bandits and Zulu cannibals, and that he had little trust in their 'native' zoologist's trustworthiness.

This would have broken the camel's back for both Josh and Denzel if Chen hadn't stepped in and suggested to Lord Davidson that they'd simply cut down on their equipment, according to their own specifications, limiting the load to the absolute maximum that three men and their horses could carry. Although much against his better judgment, Lord Davidson finally agreed to their terms and left to finish the last minute preparations for their passage up the Nile, to the European trading post in the town of Khartoum in Sudan.

Discarding all the non-essentials, including a fancy hot-water bath facility, the excess tents for private quarters, keeping only one for the three of them, the camping furniture, gramophone, a chef's kitchen, the photography kit, among other pieces of heavy junk, they took a revised inventory of their equipment. Aside from their shotguns and ammo, they carried a navigator's kit, mountaineering gear, several scientific instruments which Chen and Denzel needed for their observations, blankets, canteens, a medical kit and canned rations, enough for a month. Josh figured they'd find plenty of wild game out in the savannah, so they needn't overload themselves with too many heavy cans of corned beef and jam. By midnight, they were ready.

"We still have a long way to go, my friends," said Chen, "But the journey of a thousand miles begins with the first step."

"Why doesn't that make me feel any better?" Josh muttered to himself.


End file.
